KR20110019070A - Mobile terminal and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal that informs a user of an unconfirmed communication event in various ways, and conveniently allows the user to check the unconfirmed communication event.

Mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the wireless communication unit; A display unit; A user input unit including a hardware key button having a light emitting device; And continuously operating the light emitting device while an unidentified communication event not confirmed by the user is present among the communication events received through the wireless communication unit, and the list of the unidentified communication event is displayed when the hardware key button is operated. It may include a control unit for controlling to be displayed on.

Description

MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THEROF}

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal that informs a user of an unconfirmed communication event in various ways, and conveniently allows the user to check the unconfirmed communication event.

The terminal can move And can be divided into a mobile / portable terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal may be further classified into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether a user can directly carry it.

Such a terminal has various functions, for example, in the form of a multimedia device having multiple functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of a music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, etc. .

In order to support and increase the function of such a terminal, it may be considered to improve the structural part and / or the software part of the terminal.

Since a variety of communication events such as multimedia messages and e-mails have recently occurred, there is a demand for a method of effectively notifying an occurrence and type of an unconfirmed event to a user when an unidentified communication event occurs.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the general technology as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal and a control method that can notify the user of the occurrence of an unconfirmed event more effectively.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, which can effectively notify a user of a type of unconfirmed event.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, by which a user can more conveniently identify an unconfirmed event.

Technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. Could be.

A mobile terminal related to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above object is a wireless communication unit; A display unit; A user input unit including a hardware key button having a light emitting device; And continuously operating the light emitting device while an unidentified communication event not confirmed by the user is present among the communication events received through the wireless communication unit, and the list of the unidentified communication event is displayed when the hardware key button is operated. It may include a control unit for controlling to be displayed on.

In addition, the control method of the mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above problem is that the unconfirmed communication event exists when an unconfirmed communication event not confirmed by the user occurs among the communication events received through the wireless communication unit. Continuing to operate the light emitting device provided in the hardware key button; And displaying the list of the unconfirmed communication events on the display unit when the hardware key button is manipulated.

In addition, a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above object is a display unit including a liquid crystal display and a backlight comprising a plurality of backlight LEDs located on the back of the liquid crystal display; Wireless communication unit; A user input unit including a hardware key button; And continuously operating the backlight while an unidentified communication event not confirmed by the user is present among the communication events received through the wireless communication unit, and when the hardware key button is operated, the list of the unidentified communication events is displayed on the display unit. It may include a control unit for controlling to.

The mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above may more effectively notify the user of the occurrence of an unacknowledged event.

In addition, the user can be effectively notified to at least one of the color and the light emitting pattern of the light emitting device provided in the key button up to the type of the unconfirmed event.

In addition, the user may check the unconfirmed event more conveniently.

The effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned above may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. will be.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles from each other.

The mobile terminal described herein may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), navigation, and the like. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may also be applied to fixed terminals such as digital TVs, desktop computers, etc., except when applicable only to mobile terminals.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an A / V input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, and an interface. The unit 170, the controller 180, and the power supply unit 190 may be included. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, so that a mobile terminal having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules that enable wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and a network in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may mean a server that generates and transmits a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information or a server that receives a previously generated broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information and transmits the same to a terminal. The broadcast signal may include not only a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, and a data broadcast signal, but also a broadcast signal having a data broadcast signal combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast related information may mean information related to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or a broadcast service provider. The broadcast related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast related information may exist in various forms. For example, it may exist in the form of Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or Electronic Service Guide (ESG) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

The broadcast receiving module 111 may include, for example, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), Media Forward Link Only (MediaFLO), and Digital Video Broadcast (DVB-H). Digital broadcast signals can be received using digital broadcasting systems such as Handheld and Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to be suitable for not only the above-described digital broadcasting system but also other broadcasting systems.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives a wireless signal with at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data according to transmission and reception of a voice call signal, a video call call signal, or a text / multimedia message.

The wireless internet module 113 refers to a module for wireless internet access and may be embedded or external to the mobile terminal 100. Wireless Internet technologies may include Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), Wireless Broadband (Wibro), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), and the like.

The short range communication module 114 refers to a module for short range communication. As a short range communication technology, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like may be used.

The location information module 115 is a module for obtaining a location of a mobile terminal, and a representative example thereof is a GPS (Global Position System) module.

Referring to FIG. 1, the A / V input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video call mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame may be displayed on the display unit 151.

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. Two or more cameras 121 may be provided according to the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal by a microphone in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, etc., and processes the external sound signal into electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. The microphone 122 may implement various noise removing algorithms for removing noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for the user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure / capacitance), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 detects a current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as an open / closed state of the mobile terminal 100, a location of the mobile terminal 100, presence or absence of a user contact, orientation of the mobile terminal, acceleration / deceleration of the mobile terminal, and the like. To generate a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it may sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. In addition, whether the power supply unit 190 is supplied with power, whether the interface unit 170 is coupled to the external device may be sensed. The sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.

The output unit 150 is used to generate an output related to visual, auditory or tactile senses, which includes a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, a haptic module 154, and a projector module ( 155) may be included.

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in a call mode, the mobile terminal displays a user interface (UI) or a graphic user interface (GUI) related to the call. When the mobile terminal 100 is in a video call mode or a photographing mode, the mobile terminal 100 displays photographed and / or received images, a UI, and a GUI.

The display unit 151 is a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display (flexible) and at least one of a 3D display.

Some of these displays can be configured to be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen from the outside. This may be referred to as a transparent display. A representative example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparant OLED). The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be configured as a light transmissive structure. With this structure, the user can see the object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 of the terminal body.

There may be two or more display units 151 according to the implementation form of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display portions may be spaced apart from one another, or may be disposed integrally with one another, and may be disposed on different surfaces, respectively.

When the display unit 151 and a sensor for detecting a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as a touch sensor) form a mutual layer structure (hereinafter referred to as a touch screen), the display unit 151 may be configured in addition to an output device. Can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have, for example, a form of a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor may be configured to detect not only the position and area of the touch but also the pressure at the touch.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and then transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. As a result, the controller 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched.

The proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal surrounded by the touch screen or near the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or an object present in the vicinity without using a mechanical contact by using an electromagnetic force or infrared rays. Proximity sensors have a longer life and higher utilization than touch sensors.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor. When the touch screen is capacitive, the touch screen is configured to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field according to the proximity of the pointer. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of allowing the pointer to be recognized without being in contact with the touch screen so that the pointer is located on the touch screen is referred to as a "proximity touch", and the touch The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch." The position at which the proximity touch is performed by the pointer on the touch screen means a position where the pointer vertically corresponds to the touch screen when the pointer is in proximity proximity.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (for example, a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, and a proximity touch movement state). Information corresponding to the sensed proximity touch operation and proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The sound output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signal reception, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like. The sound output module 152 may also output a sound signal related to a function (eg, a call signal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. The sound output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events occurring in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, and touch input. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying occurrence of an event in a form other than a video signal or an audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or the audio signal may be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152, so that they 151 and 152 may be classified as part of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. Vibration is a representative example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154. The intensity and pattern of vibration generated by the haptic module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or may be sequentially output.

In addition to vibration, the haptic module 154 may be configured to provide a pin array that vertically moves with respect to the contact skin surface, a jetting force or suction force of air through the jetting or suction port, grazing to the skin surface, contact of the electrode, electrostatic force, and the like. Various tactile effects can be generated, such as effects by the endothermic and the reproduction of a sense of cold using the elements capable of endotherm or heat generation.

The haptic module 154 may not only deliver the haptic effect through direct contact, but also may implement the user to feel the haptic effect through a muscle sense such as a finger or an arm. Two or more haptic modules 154 may be provided according to a configuration aspect of the mobile terminal 100.

The projector module 155 is a component for performing an image project function using the mobile terminal 100 and is similar to the image displayed on the display unit 151 in accordance with a control signal of the controller 180 Or at least partly display another image on an external screen or wall.

Specifically, the projector module 155 includes a light source (not shown) that generates light (for example, laser light) for outputting an image to the outside, a light source And a lens (not shown) for enlarging and outputting the image at a predetermined focal distance to the outside. Further, the projector module 155 may include a device (not shown) capable of mechanically moving the lens or the entire module to adjust the image projection direction.

The projector module 155 can be divided into a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) module, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module and a DLP (Digital Light Processing) module according to the type of the display means. In particular, the DLP module may be advantageous for miniaturization of the projector module 151 by enlarging and projecting an image generated by reflecting light generated from a light source on a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) chip.

Preferably, the projector module 155 may be provided longitudinally on the side, front or back side of the mobile terminal 100. It goes without saying that the projector module 155 may be provided at any position of the mobile terminal 100 as occasion demands.

The memory unit 160 may store a program for processing and controlling the controller 180, and temporarily stores input / output data (for example, a phone book, a message, an audio, a still image, a video, etc.). It can also perform a function for. The memory unit 160 may also store the frequency of use of each of the data (for example, each telephone number, each message, and frequency of use for each multimedia). In addition, the memory unit 160 may store data regarding vibration and sound of various patterns output when a touch input on the touch screen is performed.

The memory 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), RAM (Random Access Memory, RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), Magnetic Memory, Magnetic It may include a storage medium of at least one type of disk, optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in connection with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device, receives power, transfers the power to each component inside the mobile terminal 100, or transmits data inside the mobile terminal 100 to an external device. For example, a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio I / O port, A video input / output (I / O) port, an earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip that stores various types of information for authenticating the usage rights of the mobile terminal 100, and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identify module (SIM), and a universal user authentication module ( Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

The interface unit may be a passage through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100 when the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, or various command signals input from the cradle by a user may be transferred. It can be a passage to the terminal. Various command signals or power input from the cradle may be operated as signals for recognizing that the mobile terminal is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, perform related control and processing for voice calls, data communications, video calls, and the like. The controller 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for playing multimedia. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the controller 180 or may be implemented separately from the controller 180.

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing a writing input or a drawing input performed on the touch screen as text and an image, respectively.

The power supply unit 190 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the controller 180 to supply power for operation of each component.

Various embodiments described herein may be implemented in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein include application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like. It may be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing other functions. The described embodiments may be implemented by the controller 180 itself.

According to the software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented as separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more functions and operations described herein. Software code may be implemented in software applications written in a suitable programming language. The software code may be stored in the memory 160 and executed by the controller 180.

2A is a front perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal or a portable terminal according to the present invention.

The disclosed portable terminal 100 has a terminal body in the form of a bar. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be applied to various structures such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, a swivel type, and two or more bodies are coupled to be relatively movable.

The body includes a casing (casing, housing, cover, etc.) that forms an exterior. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 101 and a rear case 102. Various electronic components are built in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. At least one intermediate case may be further disposed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102.

The cases may be formed by injecting synthetic resin or may be formed of a metal material, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

The display unit 151, the audio output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 130/131 and 132, the microphone 122, and the interface 170 may be disposed in the terminal body, mainly the front case 101. have.

The display unit 151 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 101. A sound output unit 151 and a camera 121 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 151 and a user input unit 131 and a microphone 122 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end. The user input unit 132 and the interface 170 may be disposed on side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102.

The user input unit 130 is manipulated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132. The manipulation units 131 and 132 may also be collectively referred to as manipulating portions, and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates the tactile manner with a tactile feeling.

Content input by the first or second manipulation units 131 and 132 may be variously set. For example, the first manipulation unit 131 receives a command such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second manipulation unit 132 adjusts the volume of the sound output from the sound output unit 152 or displays 151. Command), such as switching to the touch recognition mode.

The third operation units 137 and 138 may be configured of a first button 137 in the center and a second key button 138 disposed in a form surrounding the first button 137. Here, the first button 137 may be a general push button or a touch button for recognizing a touch. In the case of the push button, the first button 137 may be provided with one or more rotation axes to receive a scroll command.

The second button 138 may recognize a change in pressure, a change in light quantity, or a change in capacitance according to at least four directions of up, down, left, and right directions so as to perform a function of a navigation key, and simultaneously recognize two or more directions. It may be. In other words, the second button may be actuated pressure sensitive in response to the pressure exerted in any direction, the light reaching at least a portion of the second button by a shadow along the proximity of the pointer, such as a finger or stylus pen. If the amount of light or the pattern to which light is irradiated changes, it can act as a photosensitive device to recognize it. In addition, the second button may be implemented as a general capacitive touch button.

For example, when contact is applied to the upper part and the right part of the second button at the time of the cursor operation, the cursor is moved upward in the right diagonal direction. In addition, the second button 138 may recognize the pressure or the contact area applied in each direction in two or more steps. That is, when the user applies the first pressure in one direction when the cursor is operated, the cursor moves at the first speed, and when the user applies a second pressure greater than the first pressure in one direction, the cursor moves to a second faster than the first speed. Will move at speed. Accordingly, the user may adjust the direction and pressure of pressing the second button 138 to move the cursor or select a menu more conveniently than a general navigation key. In addition, the second button 138 may be formed of a light transmissive material, and a light emitting device may be provided therein to generate various visual effects. One or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) may be used as the light emitting device, and a plurality of light emitting diodes having different colors may be provided, and the light emitting devices may emit light in a plurality of colors or blinking patterns under the control of the controller 180.

Hereinafter, in the present specification, the third operation unit including the first button 137 and the second button 138 is referred to as a "vector pad" for convenience.

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a camera 121 ′ may be additionally mounted on the rear of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102. The camera 121 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 has a low pixel so that the user's face is photographed and transmitted to the counterpart in case of a video call, and the camera 121 'photographs a general subject and does not transmit it immediately. It is desirable to have a high pixel because there are many. The cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body so as to be rotatable or pop-upable.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are further disposed adjacent to the camera 121 '. The flash 123 shines light toward the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121 '. The mirror 124 allows the user to see his / her own face or the like when photographing (self-photographing) the user by using the camera 121 '.

The sound output unit 152 'may be further disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The sound output unit 152 ′ may implement a stereo function together with the sound output unit 152 (see FIG. 2A), and may be used to implement a speakerphone mode during a call.

The antenna 116 for receiving a broadcast signal may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 116, which forms part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1), can be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the portable terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be embedded in the terminal body or may be directly detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may be further equipped with a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. Like the display unit 151, the touch pad 135 may also be configured to have a light transmission type. In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output visual information from both sides, the visual information may be recognized through the touch pad 135. The information output on both surfaces may be controlled by the touch pad 135. Alternatively, a display may be additionally mounted on the touch pad 135, and a touch screen may be disposed on the rear case 102 as well.

Hereinafter, the operation of the display unit 151 and the touch pad 135 will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

3 is a front view of a portable terminal for explaining an operation state of the portable terminal according to the present invention.

Various types of time information can be displayed on the display unit 151. [ These pieces of information can be displayed in the form of letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons.

In order to input such information, at least one of the letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons may be displayed in a predetermined arrangement so as to be implemented in the form of a keypad. Such a keypad may be referred to as a so-called " virtual keypad ".

3 illustrates receiving a touch applied to the virtual keypad through the front of the terminal body.

The display unit 151 may operate in an entire area or may be operated in a divided manner. In the latter case, the plurality of areas can be configured to operate in association with each other.

For example, an output window 151a and an input window 151b are displayed on the upper and lower portions of the display unit 151, respectively. The output window 151a and the input window 151b are areas allocated for outputting or inputting information, respectively. In the input window 151b, a virtual keypad 151c is displayed in which a number for inputting a telephone number or the like is displayed. When the virtual keypad 151c is touched, numbers and the like corresponding to the touched virtual keypad are displayed on the output window 151a. When the first manipulation unit 131 is operated, a call connection to the telephone number displayed on the output window 151a is attempted.

In addition to the input methods disclosed in the above embodiments, the display unit 151 or the touch pad 135 may be configured to receive a touch input by scrolling. By scrolling the display unit 151 or the touch pad 135, the user may move an object displayed on the display unit 151, for example, a cursor or a pointer located at an icon. Further, when the finger is moved on the display portion 151 or the touch pad 135, the path along which the finger moves may be visually displayed on the display portion 151. [ This may be useful for editing an image displayed on the display unit 151.

One function of the terminal may be executed in response to a case where the display unit 151 (touch screen) and the touch pad 135 are touched together within a predetermined time range. In the case of being touched together, there may be a case where the user clamps the terminal body using the thumb and index finger. For example, the function may include activation or deactivation of the display unit 151 or the touch pad 135.

On the other hand, in the manipulation of the touch screen, "pointer" or "cursor" is often used interchangeably as a word referring to an arrow displayed on the display to indicate a specific position. In the present specification, a "pointer" and a "cursor" are distinguished, and a figure or the like displayed on the display unit and pointing to a specific position thereon is referred to as a "cursor". In addition, a user's finger or stylus pen or the like used to physically apply a touch touch or a proximity touch to a specific point of the touch screen is referred to as a "pointer".

First embodiment

The mobile terminal referred to herein may include at least one of the components shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, the mobile terminal according to the present invention includes a wireless communication unit 110, a display unit 151 and a user operation unit 130. More preferably, the mobile terminal according to the present invention includes a vector pad.

Hereinafter, a schematic procedure of an unconfirmed communication event notification and confirmation method of a mobile terminal according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an unacknowledged communication event notification and confirmation method of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, an unconfirmed communication event may occur (S401).

Herein, the unconfirmed communication event refers to a communication event which is not provided to the user during the short message (SMS), multimedia message (MMS), voicemail, email, voice call, and video call received through the wireless communication unit 110. In other words, an unacknowledged communication event is when the user does not confirm after receiving a short message (SMS), multimedia message (MMS), voicemail, email, or the like, or a voice or video call has been made but the user does not respond It is the case that bidirectional communication is not set.

Accordingly, the controller 180 can emit the light emitting device provided in the vector pad in order to visually inform the user of the existence of the unidentified communication event (S402).

In this case, the light emitting devices may emit light in different colors or patterns according to the types of unconfirmed communication events. For example, the light emitting device may emit blue when the unconfirmed communication event is a text message, and the light emitting device may emit red when the unconfirmed communication event is a voice call. As another example, the light emitting device may periodically blink when the unacknowledged communication event is a text message, and the light emitting state may be continuously maintained in the case of a voice call. If two or more types of unidentified communication events exist at the same time, a color or light emission pattern corresponding to each event may be alternately repeated in the light emitting device, and a third color or third light emission pattern may appear.

According to the operation of the light emitting device, when a user inputs a specific button in the user input unit 130, an unidentified communication event may be displayed on the display unit 151 (S403 and S404).

In this case, when the plurality of unidentified communication events having different types are displayed on the display unit 151 in the form of a list, the unidentified communication events may be displayed in a sorted order regardless of the type. It may be displayed according to the priority of each kind.

In addition, when the confirmation of any one event (or one type) of the unconfirmed communication events displayed on the list of the display unit 151 is completed, the next priority event may be automatically displayed.

The above-described list display order or confirmation order is exemplary and may be prioritized in various criteria and group units.

Meanwhile, the specific button is preferably the first button 137 or the second button 138 of the vector pad. In general, in case of a mobile terminal having a touch screen, if there is no input from a user for a predetermined time or a predetermined time elapses after an unconfirmed event occurs, a touch lock or a touch lock may not be recognized. lock) function can be set. This touch lock can usually be released by a user's hardware key (eg, hold key or touch unlock button) manipulation.

When the above-described touch lock is set, the controller 180 may release the touch lock only after the user displays an unidentified communication event on the display unit according to an input through the vector pad. As the user finishes confirming the unconfirmed communication event, the controller 180 may set the touch lock again. This is convenient because the user does not have to perform a cumbersome operation of releasing and setting the touch lock in order to confirm the unconfirmed event.

The controller 180 may determine whether there is an unconfirmed event that remains even after confirming an unconfirmed event by the user (S405).

If there are remaining unidentified communication events, the controller 180 may emit light emitting elements of the vector pads with colors or light emitting patterns corresponding to the remaining unidentified communication events.

A specific example in which the above-mentioned notification and confirmation method of the unconfirmed communication event is performed in the mobile terminal will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

5 illustrates an example of an operation related to an unconfirmed communication event of a mobile terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 5A, as a voice call is received through the wireless communication unit 110, information 510 for identifying a caller may be displayed on a part of the display unit 151. In addition, an icon area 520 indicating a call reception and a letter icon 530 indicating the presence of an unidentified text message may be displayed in the indicator area on the top of the display unit 151.

As the user does not answer the voice call, the voice call session cannot be established and the icon 520 indicating an incoming call as shown in FIG. 5 (b) indicates that there is a missed call. It may be changed to the icon 521. In addition, the controller 180 may allow the display unit to become darker in order to save power of the display unit 151.

If there is no input from the user while the display unit 151 is dark, the controller 180 turns off the display unit 151 and emits light from the second button 138 of the vector pad as shown in FIG. You can. In this case, the above-described touch lock function may be executed to prevent a malfunction according to the setting.

Next, an example of the light emission pattern of the light emitting device according to the unidentified communication event will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

6 illustrates an example of a light emission pattern of a light emitting device provided in a vector pad as an embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 6A, the light emitting device may be disposed along the shape of the second button 138 formed of a light transmissive material, and may emit light in a form of rotating in one direction. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6B, the second button 138 may be gradually lightened and then may emit light in a fading pattern (Fade in & Fade out).

Next, a process of confirming the unconfirmed communication event by the user will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 7.

7 illustrates an example of an operation of a mobile terminal when a user confirms an unacknowledged communication event according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is assumed to be the process after FIG. 5C described above. In other words, it is assumed that there is a missed call and a text message without confirmation by the user that do not respond to an unacknowledged communication event. Accordingly, it is assumed that the light emitting device of the vector pad emits light with a color or pattern corresponding to a voice call and a text message, and the touch lock is set.

First, referring to FIG. 7A, when a user input unit 130 other than a vector pad, for example, a touch screen or a hardware key is input, an icon indicating that a touch lock is set on the display unit 151 is set. And a method for releasing the touch lock may be displayed. However, other functions do not operate until the user releases the touch lock through the methods displayed on the display unit 151.

In this case, when the user presses the first button 137 of the vector pad, as shown in FIG. 7B, the display unit 151 displays unconfirmed communication events, and the touch lock is not released but is associated with unconfirmed communication events. Only the function may not apply the touch lock. Accordingly, the user can conveniently check the unconfirmed communication event only by operating the vector pad without additional touch lock release.

The user may select the missed call item 710 to check the details of the unconfirmed voice call as shown in FIG. When the user confirms the unconfirmed communication event, the controller 180 may stop light emission of the light emitting device provided in the vector pad. As the user finishes checking the details of the unconfirmed voice call, the indicator 521 indicating the voice call displayed in unconfirmed FIG. 7 (b) disappears. However, since the text message is not confirmed, the indicator 530 indicating the existence of the unacknowledged text message is continuously displayed in the indicator area.

After that, if the user input is not a predetermined time, as shown in FIG. 7 (d), the controller 180 turns off the display unit 151 and again emits the light emitting device of the vector pad in a color or pattern corresponding to an unidentified text message. . In addition, the touch lock may be reset.

Second embodiment

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method of notifying an unidentified communication event to a user by using a light emitting diode (LED) backlight of the display unit 151 instead of the light emitting device of the vector pad.

Generally, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as "LCD") is used as the display unit 151 of the mobile terminal 100. LCD is a non-light-emitting electronic display device that does not emit light by itself, and requires a light source having an extraordinary outstanding characteristic to realize vivid and natural natural colors of moving images with high quality. The role of such a light source is called a backlight. In order to irradiate the light from the back of the LCD, a complex including a light source itself, a power circuit for driving the light source, and an integral part of the unit to provide a uniform plane light is provided with a back light unit (BLU). Is called).

The BLU can be classified into a direct type and an edge type according to its arrangement in relation to the LCD panel.

First, the direct type is explained. The biggest structural feature of the direct type BLU is that the light source that irradiates the LCD panel is located where the light can be irradiated directly from the back of the panel. The direct type BLU may include a backlight lamp serving as a light source, a reflector reflecting light of the backlight lamp, a diffuser spreading the reflected light evenly, and the like.

Next, the edge type will be described. The biggest structural feature of the edge type BLU is that the position of the light source is located on the side of the LCD panel. The light generated from the light source located at the side is irradiated to the LCD panel in the form of plane light through the light guide plate transmitting the light. Compared to the direct type, it is a BLU type that is advantageous for thinning.

Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFLs) have been mainly used for the backlight lamps, which are the core components of the BLU. In the cold cathode fluorescent lamp, fluorescent material is coated on the inner wall of the glass tube, electrodes are attached to both ends of the tube, and a high-pressure mixed gas and a fixed amount of mercury are enclosed in the tube. The cold cathode fluorescent lamp uses a principle that electrons from an electrode collide with mercury to generate ultraviolet rays when power is applied, and the ultraviolet rays react with the fluorescent material on the inner wall to generate visible light.

In recent years, the above-mentioned cold cathode fluorescent lamp has been replaced by a light emitting diode (LED), which is a semiconductor device using an electroluminescent effect. The BLU using the LED has advantages such as low power consumption, high color reproducibility, and excellent response speed compared to the BLU using a cold cathode fluorescent lamp.

The present invention has a display unit in which the LED BLU is used, it is possible to inform the user of the existence of an unconfirmed communication event in various forms. The present embodiment is similar to the first embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7 but the basic operation method is different, except that the LED of the BLU is used instead of the light emitting device of the vector pad. In addition, in the present embodiment, any hardware key button other than a vector pad may be used as a hardware button for confirming an unconfirmed communication event. Therefore, for the sake of simplicity of the specification, in the present embodiment, a portion overlapping with the above-described first embodiment will be omitted and only the operation of the BLU corresponding to step S402 of FIG. 4 will be described in detail.

First, the structure of the LED BLU applicable to the mobile terminal according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

8 illustrates an example of a structure of a backlight unit using a direct light emitting diode according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the LEDs 800 are arranged in a checkerboard shape to form a direct type BLU. Using the BLU structure, the brightness or the blinking of each LED is individually controlled through the controller 180 so that the display unit 151 located at the upper part of the BLU according to the local contrast or light emission pattern difference Can generate visual effects. An example of such a visual effect will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of light emission patterns for each type of unidentified communication event using a backlight including a light emitting diode according to another embodiment of the present invention.

First, when the unconfirmed communication event is a voice call, under the control of the controller 180, the BLU may emit light in the form of a phone as shown in FIG. 9 (a). As shown in (b), the BLU may emit light in the form of a letter. In addition, when the unconfirmed communication event is an e-mail, the controller 180 can emit the BLU in the form of the letter 'e' as shown in FIG.

9 is only an example for describing another embodiment of the present invention and may be changed to various forms as necessary. In addition, in consideration of power consumption, the emission period, emission intensity, and emission pattern of the BLU may be variously adjusted as necessary.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the above-described method can be implemented as code that can be read by a processor in a medium in which a program is recorded. Examples of processor-readable media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, and may be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission over the Internet). Include.

The above-described mobile terminal is not limited to the configuration and method of the above-described embodiments, but the embodiments may be configured by selectively combining all or some of the embodiments so that various modifications can be made. It may be.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2B is a rear perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a front view of a mobile terminal for explaining an operation state of the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an unacknowledged communication event notification and confirmation method of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 illustrates an example of an operation related to an unconfirmed communication event of a mobile terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention.

6 illustrates an example of a light emission pattern of a light emitting device provided in a vector pad as an embodiment of the present invention.

7 illustrates an example of an operation of a mobile terminal when a user confirms an unacknowledged communication event according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 illustrates an example of a structure of a backlight unit using a direct light emitting diode according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of light emission patterns for each type of unidentified communication event using a backlight including a light emitting diode according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (12)

Wireless communication unit; A display unit; A user input unit including a hardware key button having a light emitting device; And Among the communication events received through the wireless communication unit, the light emitting device is continuously operated while there is an unidentified communication event not confirmed by the user, and when the hardware key button is operated, the list of the unidentified communication events is displayed on the display unit. And a control unit for controlling the display. The method of claim 1, The unconfirmed communication event, A mobile terminal comprising a short message (SMS), a multimedia message (MMS), a voice mail, an email, a voice call, and a video call. The method of claim 1, The light emitting device includes a light emitting diode (LED) having a plurality of colors, The control unit, And the light emitting device emits light in different colors according to the type of the unidentified communication event. The method of claim 1, The control unit, And the light emitting device emits light in different patterns according to the type of the unidentified communication event. The method of claim 1, The hardware key button A mobile terminal comprising a navigation key for distinguishing and recognizing a user's input in at least four directions. The method of claim 5, The navigation key, The mobile terminal, characterized in that for recognizing the input for the direction through the pressure applied to itself. The method of claim 6, The navigation key, A mobile terminal, characterized in that to recognize the pressure divided into at least two stages. The method of claim 1, The display unit is a touch screen that recognizes a user's touch input, The control unit, When there is no user input through the user input unit or the touch screen or when a predetermined time elapses from when the unconfirmed communication event occurs, the touch screen is in a touch lock state that does not recognize the touch input. A mobile terminal, characterized in that for controlling to operate. The method of claim 8, The control unit, And when the list of unconfirmed communication events is displayed on the touch screen, controlling the touch screen so that the touch lock state is released only for a touch input related to the confirmation of the unconfirmed communication event. The method of claim 1, The control unit, And the operation of the light emitting device is performed when the display unit is turned off after a predetermined time elapses from when the unidentified communication event occurs. A display unit including a liquid crystal display device and a backlight including a plurality of backlight light emitting diodes disposed on a rear surface of the liquid crystal display device; Wireless communication unit; A user input unit including a hardware key button; And Among the communication events received through the wireless communication unit, the backlight is continuously operated while there is an unidentified communication event not confirmed by the user, and when the hardware key button is operated, the list of the unidentified communication events is displayed on the display unit. And a control unit for controlling the mobile terminal. If an unidentified communication event not confirmed by the user occurs among communication events received through the wireless communication unit, continuing to operate the light emitting device provided in the hardware key button while the unidentified communication event exists; And And displaying the list of unacknowledged communication events on the display unit when the hardware key button is operated.

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